6 Cops Charged In Freddie Gray’s Death; Death Ruled Homicide

Update: 5/1/15, 11:00 am: Baltimore City State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby announced Friday that Freddie Gray’s death has been ruled a homicide and there is probable cause to file charges against all six police officers involved in his detention, reports the Chicago Tribune.

Warrants have been issued for the officers’ arrest after charges were filed Friday morning, around 9:30 a.m. local time, reports the news outlet.

Just before news of the charges was announced, the Baltimore police union asked the state’s attorney Marilyn Mosby to appoint special independent prosecutor to investigate the death of Freddie Gray, whose death has set off waves of protests in Baltimore and around the nation.

Fraternal Order of Police local president Gene Ryan told Mosby in a letter Friday that the union is concerned about her ties to Gray family attorney Billy Murphy.

Murphy was among Mosby’s biggest campaign contributors last year, donating the maximum individual amount allowed, $4,000, in June. He was also on Mosby’s transition team after the election.

Stay tuned for more information in this developing story…

Earlier:

Raising more questions than answers about the mystery surrounding the death of Freddie Gray, reports emerged Thursday that he was fatally injured during an approximate 40-minute ride in the rear of a police transport van, not during his arrest, according to ABC 7.

A Baltimore police investigation has found no evidence that Gray’s fatal injuries were caused during an arrest captured on viral video, multiple law enforcement sources told WJLA, the network’s Baltimore, Maryland affiliate, after police turned over their findings Thursday to State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby.

Gray, 25, who died on April 19 after injuries from an arrest, is the latest symbol in an ongoing debate about police violence in Black communities. Fiery protests erupted in the city Monday after his funeral and reignited protests throughout the week against police violence across the nation, including in Philadelphia and New York City.

Sources said the medical examiner found Gray’s catastrophic injury was caused when he slammed into the back of the police transport van, apparently breaking his neck; a head injury he sustained matches a bolt in the back of the van.

Details surrounding exactly what caused Gray to slam into the back of the van were unclear. The officer driving the van has yet to give a statement to authorities. It’s also unclear whether Gray’s head injury was voluntary or was a result of some other action.

The Medical Examiner’s Office declined to comment on this open investigation and said it does not release preliminary findings.

And in new information that came to light Thursday, police told reporters that the van made an additional stop as it traveled to the police precinct, according to CNN, citing other new developments in the case.